Precious
by Rosie McLovin
Summary: Final Fantasy IX 10 years after the ending.
1. Prologue

**Precious**

**Written By Rose Dincht**

_  
"How did you survive...?"_

_"I didn't have a choice... I had to live. I wanted to come home to you. So... I sang your song..."_

_"Our song..."_

Zidane's eyes fluttered open. The blinding rays of the ray beat down on his face, warming his face and body from underneath the satin sheets of the bed. Giving a silent yet long yawn, his arm snaked around the waist of Garnet, his Dagger, his cheek brushing against her dark hair as he nuzzled her neck. She was always peaceful in her sleep. Ten years had passed, and her once delicate frame of fair youth had matured into a body of grace and an eternal beauty. At age twenty-eight, she was still the beautiful, shining Garnet she was when she was sixteen. Zidane brushed his fingertips against her cheek and her lips... he never fully realized how soft her skin was in the past. It was smooth, warm, gentle, like a baby's.

At some points Zidane himself had grown envious of her soft skin. His skin had grown a little rougher over the years. His jawline and chin felt like sandpaper as gold-colored facial hair poked out through his pale skin. His hair had grown longer as well, as his once inch-long ponytail had dropped down to the center of his back. It was still very thin-layered, but longer then he expected it to be. But it hadn't bothered him. He actually enjoyed longer hair. It was his rougher, harder skin that became a peeve to him. But nonetheless, the thoughts were always washed away when Garnet would stirr in her sleep, rub her soft cheek against his scratchy face and giggle at the feeling. She would make a cute and innocently sarcastic comment about him getting a shave, and then kiss him. Like she did now.

"Hey there, beautiful." he said as she rolled over on her back to look up at him.

"Always up bright and early, aren't you?" she laughed, stroking his cheek and giving him a silly look. "Zidane, I thought I told you to get this shaved."

Zidane responded by crawling over ontop of her with a mischievious smile. "Aww c'mon, you know you like it." he laughed.

Garnet gave a laugh and squirmed slightly in playful resistance. "Nooooo, get it shaved..." she laughed.

"No way, you know you like it!"

Zidane responded by leaning down and kissing her on the mouth, making sure to brush the facial hair against her cheek and jawline as she giggled. She kissed him back softly, and he sat up on the bed. He truly was a great person. A theif turned King. She would always find him playfully swiping her earrings or garments without her even noticing until he had put it on himself. Even after ten years of being the king of Alexandria, he still was a child at heart. He streched out his arms the way he used to, both arms going to the left twice, then to the right twice, and then a roll of his shoulders, before getting off the bed and struggling to keep his white evening pants on. He gave a slight frown at the loose trousers... he had asked Marie to get them adjusted. He supposed it must have slipped her mind or something... or perhaps it was just too awkward for a king to be asking a serving girl, even if she was a tailor, to adjust his _pants_ of all garments. Garnet slipped out of bed, rubbing her eyes gently and smoothing out the wrinkles of her nightgown. She walked over and opened the windows, watching as a flock of pidgeons abandoned their resting areas on the windowceil and took to the sky as the sun's light filled the room.

"What a beautiful morning... a wonderful day for the reunion." she said outloud.

Zidane nearly stumbled over himself, half falling in his shock and half struggling to get out of his night pants, looking up at the queen of Alexandria. "The reunion is today?" he cried.

Garnet, familiar with the sounds of the shuffling clothing and the stumbling, kept her eyes to the sky as she responded. "Of course it is, don't tell me you forgot about it." she laughed.

Zidane, finally out of the night trousers and making his way to the wardrobe looked over his shoulders as he pulled out his royal attire. "Well... you can't really say I _forgot_ about it. I just lost track of time is all..." was his protest.

Garnet slightly giggled. _Always a child at heart. Always..._

"Well... I suppose you could put it that way. But it's a little awkward you forgot the date. This is the only time of the year that we actually get to see everyone again..." she said softly, her eyes still to the sky. Zidane, now with his trousers on, looked back over his shoulder as he pulled his white silk shirt over his head.

"Yeah, it's a crazy time, isn't it? Oddly enough... something crazy seems to always happen this time of year too." he said, finishing his sentence with a laugh as he smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt.

Garnet smiled, then rested her hands on the windowceil. "Isn't it amazing how every year, something changes about them? Just small, simple things about them. Remember that one year, Vivi came back with the entire Black Mage Village? He said that he had found a way to expand their lifespan..." she said.

Zidane smiled as he threw his cape over his shoulders and seated himself on the bed, slipping one foot into a boot. "I remember how happy he was when he found out. It was nice to see the kid happy again." he said.

Garnet, recognising the noise of his weight on the bed, came to the conclusion that it was safe to turn around. She did so, and walked towards him, continuing the conversation.

"Do you remember that one year when Freya came to Alexandria five months pregnant? And the year after that when she came back with Fratley and five little girls?" she asked with a smile and a blush. Zidane fastened his boot, then stuck his other foot into the other one. He could tell something was up, but the way her voice was trailing off, and how red her face was.

He smiled. "Are you nervous too?"

Her head lifted up, and she shooked her head. "No, not at all..." when she saw the look on his face, that pretty much said 'Who are you trying to fool, babe?', she knew he knew. "Well... maybe a little. I guess I'm always like this every year."

Zidane fastened his boot, stood to his feet, and moved towards her as he managed to slip his gloves onto his hands. His arms opened and wrapped around his queen in a gentle and comforting embrace. Garnet smiled, her arms automatically wrapping around him tenderly.

"It's okay to be a little nervous. Change can be scary sometimes. Remember when Amarant grew his hair out? Now THAT was something scary." he chuckled. Garnet gave a laugh and playfully hit him on the chest.

"That was mean..." she giggled. Zidane gave a playful laugh in return.

"But what I'm trying to say is, how bad can it be? These are our buddies, right? That's one thing that will never change, espcieally after all the stuff they went through with us. Who knows what'll change about 'em this year, but whatever it is, I bet it's for the best. Unless Amarant decides to change wardrobes and walk around Treno as a drag queen. That'd be scarier then anything Kuja could do to us." he laughed.

Garnet couldn't resist and burst out into laughter. He always knew how to make her smile. That was one thing that never changed about him. The world could be ending and he would always say something sweet or silly to make her smile. He gave a laugh himself, and slipped his other hand into the other glove. He never really cared for his royal appearance. Actually when these reunions came he always dressed in his rememberable thieve getup, just like Garnet would slip on her orange bodysuit and go by the name "Dagger" for the rest of the day. But today was a special occassion for him. For the both of them. And he felt that it was best to be formal about it. He didn't know why he was thinking that, maybe his wife's royalness was rubbing off on him. So here he was, the former Tantalus theif, clad in white silk shirt, a pair of dark navy trousers, matching boots, white gloves and a dark blue cape that came over his shoulders and tied together at the chest by a white pendant with the crest of Alexandria engraved on it. His hair had been brushed out and tied back, his facial hair was fairly groomed, and ivory crown shimmered in the sunlight. He had to admit, even though the royal attire was never his thing, he looked pretty damn good.

"But there's one thing you have to worry about, dear." he said. She blinked.

"What's that?" she asked. He responded by picking her up in his arms.

"You don't want to be greeting our buddies in your nightie, right? Time to get dressed!" he laughed and sprinted towards her wardrobe as she laughed at his sillyness.

She was telling herself that there was nothing really for her to be nervous about. She knew that things changed year after year, but no matter what, they would always be there for her, and they would always be the friends she knew from before. What would be to worry about? Surely her friends would never try to hurt her by changing for the worst...

What kind of friend would do that...?


	2. Chapter I

**Precious**

**Chapter One**

_"Come on! Come on! We are going to be late!" _

_"No need to worry my new Hilda guard ship is the fastest ship ever!"_

_"Do I have to remind you? That is what you said about the theater ship! Ahem…that is what you said, Father!"_

_"What did you just call me?"_

_"Dear, she just called you father!"_

_"Father! Mother! Hurry!"_

"Lady Eiko... Lady Eiko, wake up!"

A small groan escaped the summoner. She had her face half buried in her pillow and her arms constricting it tightly. The covers enwrapped around her tiny frame and her eyes, even though already closed, squeezed tightly against each other as the Lindblum guard threw open the curtains to let the light in. She buried the rest of her face into the pillow, desperately attempting to get back to sleep in record timing.

"Lady Eiko, Regent Cid and Lady Hilda are expecting you! Please get up and get dressed!" the guard snapped, half annoyed and half humble, an odd reaction she'd grown accustom to after witnessing a screaming beatdown from the little summoner.

"Alright, alright... just... shut those blinds..." Eiko whimpered. With a sigh, the guard moved over and closed one of the curtains slightly, just to sheild the sun's rays from Eiko's eyes.

"You're breakfast will be given to you in the throne room, they wish to speak with you at once..." the guard said before leaving the room.

Eiko, fighting the temptation to just roll over and fall back asleep, sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and gave a long yawn. She lived in the Lindblum Castle for some time now, but still, she would sometimes forget where she was, thinking she would wake up in Madain Sari surrounded by moogles. Today she didn't feel that way, probably thanks to the guard. Stretching out her arms and cracking her back slightly, Eiko swung her legs off of the bed and stood up. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her clothes. Living with Cid and Hilda for this long, she had no problem fitting right in with the nobles and royal folk. She pulled out a gown that she had grown proud of. It was much like that of Hilda's: long, white and shimmering, but not as large or poofy. The gown took the form of her body: lowcut at the front in a curved V shape that showed her chest and shoulders with class. The torso of the dress was shimmered with colors of silver and very pale gold. THe front of her dress parted, so the shimmering design had a triangular frabic of a light colored ivory with many ruffles come between it. The rest of the shimmering design continued from the back of the dress and formed a small train about a foot long.

Ten years had passed for her too... she was no longer the silly little eight year old she was when Cid and Hilda took her to the play in Alexandria. Here she was, looking at herself in the mirror. The child in her was still there... but the rest of her had grown, along with her body. She stood infront of her mirror at age eighteen, brushing out her blue hair and applying pale shades of pink make up onto her face. She brushed a few blue strands behind her ear, looking at the stone of Madain Sari she still kept as an earring. Many things had changed about her: she was taller, she had lost the babyfat in her cheeks, giving her face more of a fairer heart-shaped look, and her hair had grown out into long blue locks that dropped to the center of her back. She had also grown a habit of flipping away some of the bangs that had fallen over her eyes. But nonetheless... her feelings about her home, about Madain Sari, and her grandfather all stayed the same to her.

Espcieally her feelings for Mog...

She would look at her horn, or the pink ribbon in her hand, and smile at the memories of her and her best friend. Her little partner in crime... her guardian angel. Although she kept her as her Eidolon, Eiko would sometimes sit on her bed and wish that mog was there beside her, wearing her pink ribbon and hugging Eiko sweetly. Sometimes the thoughts would even bring her to tears.Eiko have a sigh and closed her hand, holding the ribbon close to her heart, then using both hands to tie it around her blue hair. So brought out a few strands in the front, just so they could fall over her shoulders while the rest of the hair tied back by the ribbon fell to her waist. She slipped on a pair of white slippers and long, sparkling white gloves, and ended her dressing routine by placing a small, silver crown onto her hair. Eiko eyed herself one final time, straightened out the non-existing wrinkles on her dress, then managed a slow jog out of her room and down the hall. Holding her gown up slightly, hoping not to trip over the fabric and tear it, she trotted across the red carpeting and manage a speedwalk down the stairs, leading to the elevator.

"I hope I'm not running late..." she whispered to herself as she stepped into the elevator. The guard shut the door behind her, flipped the switch, and the lift moved upwards.

For some reason... Eiko felt very nervous. She didn't know why, all her parents wanted to do was talk to her. She placed her hands behind her and twisted her torso from side to side in her nervousness, like she used to do when she was a little girl. Deep inside, she felt that something big was going to happen. Maybe she did something wrong, maybe she was too mean to the guards... she really didn't know. She sighed and shook her head. Her father would never do anything cruel to her. She lived with him for ten years and he had never severly punished her for anything. With that knowledge in mind, she grew a little lighthearted... trying to turn something into optimism. Maybe it was a surprise for her, maybe they were going to take her back to Madain Sari to visit the moogles... sure the possibilities of that seemed a little over the top, but better happy thoughts then sad ones, right? That's what she thought, anyway.

"Lady Eiko..."

Her mind snapped back into place and she looked up at the guard. The elevator stopped. It had stopped for some time. She blushed slightly, nodded at the guard, then stepped out of the elevator. Eiko made her way down the hall, watching as the two guards stepped out of the way and bowed at her, then entered the throne room. Waiting there for her, along with her breakfast, was Regent Cid and Hilda.

"Slept in again, hmm Sleepyhead?" Hilda said playfully. Eiko blushed again.

"Mother, you know I go to sleep early. I do every night..." she protested.

"Every night... except for the nights during the past week, correct?" Cid joined in.

Eiko stiffened. She didn't know how they found _that_ out. Of all things, she figured that would have been the last thing they would have found out. Inwardly she growled. It must have been that damn guard. She always watched Eiko like a vulture. And all Eiko wanted to do was just leave her room at night and go out to the Observatory, just to spend some time with herself. Knowing how much that guard was such a bother she probably twisted the truth many of times as well.

"...I guess I've been staying up a little later then I usually do." She said timidly.

Although she wasn't exactly looking at them, she could feel their eyes on her. It was uncomfortable... but for some reason she could sense a hint of sorrow. Maybe even some guilt. Wheither it came from her or her parents, not even Eiko knew. Not until Cid spoke again.

"Are you... happy here?" he asked, his voice growing more concerned with each word.

Eiko's head shot up. "Father... you know I love it here. You and Mother have treated me better then any person in the world." She tensed up, then looked down. "But... as of late..."

The sound of Hilda's heels clicking against the marble floor filled Eiko's ears, and she soon felt her mother's arms wrapped around her in a gentle, comforting embrace.

"You miss your home, don't you? You're home... and your friends..." she said. Eiko smiled softly. Cid was always very kind and loving to her, but Hilda seemed to understand her more than anyone else. She nodded.

"I do. I miss the moogles... and Mog... and even..." she bit her lip slightly, choosing her words wisely. "Dagger."

Hilda blinked for a moment in confusion, processing the name, before remembering the person with the unique nickname. "Oh yes... Princess Garnet. I had a feeling you missed her... and the others, no doubt." She responded, stroking Eiko's hair.

"Well, that's what we called you down here for, Eiko. The Alexandria reunion is today."

At Cid's words, Eiko's eyes snapped open.No wonder she was so uneasy for the past week, no wonder the thoughts of her old friends came back to her. But how come the reunion slipped her mind? She shook her head very slightly to rid the question from her head and moved away from Hilda, looking up at her with a surprised expression.

"Today? We're going to Alexandria _today?_" she cried, eyes widening with every word. Hilda and Cid both smiled at her surprise, and nodded together.

"Eat up your breakfast, we'll leave in an hour." Cid responded.

Eiko released a squeal of excitement and threw her arms around Hilda again. Cid smiled and moved over toward them, wrapping his arms around both of his girls as one of Eiko's arms wrapped around him.

_I'll finally see them all again! It's been way too long... I hope none of them had changed. I hope they're all the same crazy bunch they were back then..._


	3. Chapter II

**Precious**

_Side Note - about the age thing, I always assumed that the ending FMV of FFIX took place two years after Zidane was left at the Iifa Tree, so that's why their ages are off. Just letting you know. And thank you for the reviews!_

**Chapter Two**

Garnet moved into the library. She was dressed in her favorite white coronation gown, with her long hair pulled back into it's natural style. The servants in the castle had begun the final touch ups to the decorating and cleaning before the reunion, and the soldiers had bathed and cleaned their armors and weapons to stand guard. She knew the Tantalus boys were coming along as well for their performance, and she'd hate to wake up the next day and know that several artifacts had been stolen. She actually had to chuckle at the thought. They were from two seperate worlds: royalty and thievery, but she was always happy to be around them, and they seemed to accept her for who she was. Well... now they seemed to. True they were very distant in the past and their bond wasn't as strong as it was now, but it seemed that after Zidane was crowned King of Alexandria that the boys of Tantalus and Queen Garnet's relationship grew closer and stronger.

With the thought still in her mind, Garnet walked through the library and seated herself at one of the desks stacked up with books. Not many people sat at this desk... probably because they knew that she sat there so often, lost in her thoughts, reading through the words and gazing at the pictures of the worlds she had grown fond of as a growing woman. Opening her book, she ran her fingers over the picture of Treno, the city of eternal night. She smiled at the memories of her reuniting with Dr. Tot. Although his passing was at least five years ago, thoughts and memories of him had always come back to her. Sometimes she carried an inner debate with herself: to take the gargant to Treno for a stroll down memory lane, looking at the books and the globe of Gaia, and remember her time there with him. It was a thought and a longing she kept with herself for quite some time, but nonetheless, now was not the time to be thinking of her travels. She flipped a few pages and saw the South Gate trolleys and the Village of Dali.

_I guess I do feel a little cooped up in this castle. It would be wonderful to roam freely once again in the Village of Dali... I know that Zidane..._

She paused in the middle of her thoughts. What about Zidane? Sure he always carried a smile on his face but...did he enjoy royalty? Did he like ruling over this kingdom? She had to ponder that thought... did he ever want to return to Lindblum? Or rejoin with Tantalus and travel the world once again?

"My Queen..."

Garnet smiled, recognizing the voice, and looked up from her book. Captain Adelbert Steiner stood at the doorway, and beside him was his wife, General Beatrix, and their son, Lukas. It was amazing to see Steiner and his family. He and Beatrix had come quite a long way together. She couldn't believe the time Beatrix came up to her and told her she was pregnant with Lukas. They had both aged well over the ten years. Steiner grew a little chubbier yet still kept himself in shape. Facial hair had grown out from his chin and cheeks, but he seemed to smile a lot more then he had before. Beatrix's kept her grace and beauty, but her hair was tinted with a slightly grayish color. Her face aged a bit, but fairly, and (according to Steiner) her hands became much softer over the years, escpieally after giving birth to Lukas. Although her stomach grew a little flabbier, Beatrix was still in wonderful condition. Now at age ten, Lukas resembled both of his parents in very unique ways: at birth, he lost the ability to see through one of his eyes and was given an eyepatch like his mother's. His facial appearance resembled Steiner's: rounded chin and high cheek bones, yet was much softer then his father's. He had Beatrix's hair color that was long, slightly wavy, and tied back into bun on the back of his head. He wore a tunic in shades of gray and black with the crest of Alexandria showing on his chest, and a pair of sturdy shoes. They were quite a sight to see.. all of them.

"We're here to report that the guards are now positioned throughout the castle as you commanded." Steiner stated. Garnet smiled and rose from her seat.

"Thank you very much, both of you." she said as Steiner and Beatrix bowed, followed by a cute imitation from Lukas. Garnet smiled.

"Are you excited to see them again?" Beatrix asked, combing her fingers through Lukas' hair.

Garnet nodded slightly. "I am... hehe, I wonder how much they've changed since last year..."

"As long as the change is for the better, my Queen." Steiner announced. Before another word could be spoken, one of the Pluto knights came charging in, his face flushed and beaded with sweat from the sprint.

"Captain Sir!" he gasped, forcing himself to a complete stop. His outburst caused the Steiner family and the queen to jump in surprise.

"What is it? What happened?" Steiner cried out in a panic.

The soldier gasped for air, panting harder. "Sir... we have... a serious... problem!" he managed through his gasps. Steiner jumped in nervousness.

"What is it!" he cried again.

"We have... a serious... oglop problem... by the moat..." he gasped before collasping in exhaustion.

Steiner shuddered and shook his fists in annoyance. "Grr, curse those oglops! Of all times for them to come...! Right before the guests arrive!"

Beatrix placed a hand on his shaking shoulder, telling him through her touch to clam himself. She had that effect on him... and their son. Both the father and the son had major rage issues. She nodded at him, he gave a deep breath, turned, and apologized to the giggling queen.

"We'll handle this, your Majesty." Beatrix said as she and her family bowed before the queen, then stepped over the collapsed soldier to head for the moat.

Garnet smiled, watching as they scurried out of the library and out of the castle. That family… they were her shimmer of hope. They had changed so much, in appearance and age, but… they were still the same people she knew all her life. And if they were still those same people, then maybe Vivi and Freya and all the others would still be the same as well.

But still… she had to question herself as to why she was so worried and why she needed to be convinced that they would still stay the same.

Again, she shook her head. "I spend too much time in thought." She said to herself. "Maybe I should see how Quina's coming along in the kitchen… yes, that's a good idea…"

_Things will be alright… I know they will be…_


End file.
